Man arrested in 'football rape' probe

A party organiser has been arrested over accusations by a 17-year-old girl that she was gang-raped by a group of Premiership footballers.

Nicholas Meikle, 29, went voluntarily to a police station where he was quizzed by detectives.

The girl, a sixth-former at a Catholic school, has told police she agreed to have sex with one man and was then attacked by up to seven others, some of whom were allegedly Premiership footballers.

She claims the attack happened in room 316 at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane, London, in the early hours of September 27.

Meikle, from Catford, south London, who works for a public relations company, claims the girl agreed to have sex with him.

He claims she then consented to sex with one of his friends and two Premiership footballers from two different clubs and that at no stage was she raped.

The investigation into the girl's claims is being carried out by Scotland Yard's Operation Sapphire team, which handles sex crimes.

Rumours about the identities of the football players allegedly involved have flooded the Internet and circulated among fans but the media have so far not published their names.

Public relations consultant Max Clifford, who is advising the girl and her family, said they welcomed the first arrest in the case but feared the investigation was taking too long and evidence might be lost.

Mr Clifford said: "It's with immense relief that things are starting to happen. They have been getting increasingly frustrated. The longer time went by, the harder it was going to be to prove. The family are tremendously relieved that something seems to be happening but the worry is that it's been left too long. They are relying on the police to get them justice."